Defense Secretary Robert Gates has proposes slashing $78 billion over five years from the Pentagon's budget.

In the overall spending picture, Dicks backed President Obama's recommendation to freeze non-defense discretionary spending for the next five years because too many cuts could cause damage to the fragile economy.

"What I worry about is if we make these cuts in discretionary domestic spending then it's going to have a negative effect on the economy," Dicks said.

He suggested following the president's recommendation to invest in research and development, education and innovation to "drive the unemployment rate down."

"There's going to be a battle [in committee] and we're going to offer amendments," he said. "And the thing is we know that we have to restrain spending but as the deficit commission said, do it after the economy is fully recovered and that's why the freeze idea is a stronger idea."